A headteacher attacked his deputy with a spanner in front of shocked pupils over a love triangle involving a female teacher.
Dr John Felton, 54, is said to have hit deputy head Richard Pyke over the head with the heavy-duty tool during morning lessons, leaving him with serious injuries.
The married father-of-three emailed staff apologising for what he was about to do saying: ‘I’m sorry for the distress which the rest of today will bring.’
Emergency services were called to St Joseph’s Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre in Aberavon, South Wales, after the violent assault on Wednesday morning.
Dr Felton was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault. Mr Pyke, 51, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Pupils who witnessed the violence are being offered counselling and support through the local education authority.
Some parents arrived to collect their children after receiving text messages about the attack and threatened to keep them off until they get assurances about leadership in the school.
Others raised concerns on Facebook about the teachers allegedly having sëxual liaisons in school, adding ‘never mind the headteacher nearly beating someone to death with a wrench’.
It is understood the female teacher not present at the time of the alleged spanner attack.
